Inevitability
by Forgotten Dark Soul
Summary: With Naraku defeated, Kagome is more than surprised when her life as a wandering miko is interrupted by an unexpected turn of events. Watch as Kagome embarks on a journey filled with loss, friendship, tragedy, and love - not necessarily in that order. A reimagining of "Unexpected Love with Someone Unexpected" told in 100-word snippets.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A/N: Thank you all so much for joining this reimagining of my original tale _Unexpected Love With Someone Unexpected_. If you are unaware, I primarily update this story on Dokuga, but I have decided to upload what I have for this story so far on FanFiction as well. All rights belong Rumiko Takahashi. I hope you enjoy!

Hair spinning behind her, Kagome pulled her bow from her shoulders and notched an arrow in the string. Her hands shook but her aim was true. Her intent was pure. Her desire to be rid of Naraku was all-consuming. He must die for the pain he had inflicted not only on her, but on her friends and those she did not know.

"Naraku!"

The spider youkai turned a malevolent grin to her, easily batting Inuyasha to the side without a sideways glance and deflecting Sesshomaru's sword with his own. "Come spar with me, little miko," came his lilting reply.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was easy to fall out of love when the object of affection had been removed from the equation. Three years of Kagome's life had been spent combating Naraku and chasing a man she knew would never love her as she loved him. Her misgivings came to fruition upon the completion of the jewel. With the resurrection of Kikyo, there was no place for Kagome within Inuyasha's heart – not in the way she wanted.

Leaving Edo had been easy. Her coupled friends had moved on with their lives as she needed to do the same.

So, Kagome and Shippo wandered.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Helping those in need of her miko abilities was what she did now. Traveling from province to province with her son at her side. Anything and everything from tending herbal gardens to purifying youki to assisting in childbirths.

Kagome had been in the Southern Provinces when Inuyasha found her. He begged her to return with him, to aid Kikyo during her pregnancy, which the village miko had confirmed would be a difficult one. Nonetheless, a healthy son was born to the proud parents.

Before she could depart once more, Inuyasha walked with Kagome and Shippo, hoping to impart his gratitude.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Exasperated, Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha."

Ignoring her, Inuyasha swung the Tetsusaiga, which Sesshomaru blocked and countered with Bakusaiga. "What do you want with me this time, bastard."

Sesshomaru's only acknowledgement was to raise an elegant eyebrow to which Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose. There was something seriously off putting about the daiyoukai, but this time, it was all Inuyasha.

Said hanyou had charged head first, once again, without weighing the potential alternatives. Whether Sesshomaru had indeed come to battle him for Tetsusaiga, merely to nod in passing, or to ignore them entirely.

"Okasan, Inuyasha is an idiot," Shippo mumbled.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Knocking Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha's grasp, Sesshomaru placed the tip of Bakusaiga at his throat. "Do you concede?"

"You wish," he spat.

"Hn."

Blood. Crimson blood. Bathing Inuyasha's fire rat haori. Soaking the grass at his feet. Somehow white sashinuki hakama and white hair remained untouched. Kagome wiped small droplets from her face, hands shaking, breath still. Simultaneously miko and hanyou fell to their knees; Kagome holding Shippo to her breast and Inuyasha grasping the length of a sword that protruded through his.

Kagome cringed from a shrill voice that rang throughout the clearing only to realize it was her own.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A hand muffled her cries. It was hers. Someone licked the tears from her cheeks and nuzzled her neck. A hand stroked her cheek. It was Shippo's.

"You will be silent, miko."

Angry, azure eyes turned to the stoic Daiyoukai. "How da-"

"Miko."

Kagome watched as the Tenseiga – not Bakusaiga – was removed. Shippo muttered that Inuyasha would be fine – Sesshomaru had sheathed Bakusaiga, removed Tenseiga, and used the heavenly blade instead. What blood had been spilt would be quickly regenerated within Inuyasha's hanyou body. He would be fine.

"Oh, thank kami," she sighed, turning appreciative eyes to conveniently averted ones.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sesshomaru nodded without looking at the miko. He did not want to see her appreciation. He did not need it.

He had not come for Tetsusaiga as his brother had assumed. Why should he desire a sword that he could not use? It was evident that the Tetsusaiga held allegiance to his half-brother and would not freely cast aside that allegiance.

No matter, of course. Sesshomaru did not need such a trinket from the Inu no Taisho.

The purpose of the meeting was to help hone Inuyasha's artless skills. A simple means of tailoring a potential heir to the West.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

There was no need to voice her thanks; Sesshomaru would not have listened to her anyways. Instead, Kagome wiped her tears, placed her ever-growing son beside her, and walked to Inuyasha's slumped form.

A pulse.

Another.

A rapid succession of heartbeats that Kagome knew all too well. A feral snarl. Instincts screaming for her to run.

"Inuyasha?"

"Okasan! Get away!"

Kagome froze. The subjugation beads lay within her bag in Edo, and she would not make it to the Tetsusaiga in time.

Sesshomaru watched in unbridled disinterest.

Inuyasha rose, setting his sights on a weaponless Kagome.

Kagome cursed and ran.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It was too easy.

Kagome dove for the Tetsusaiga, grasped its hilt, and pulled. Nothing. A barefoot stood atop the blade, and a muted, malicious chuckle came from its owner.

She was too late.

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side; his eyes fluttering closed with the sharp inhale of her scent. He was imprinting the smell of her upon his mind, and a slight twitch of his lips relayed that he liked what he smelt. It wasn't kind or sensual. It was predatory.

He was only a breath away from his prey, and he intended to devour it completely.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Born.

Unconditional love.

Growth.

Pride.

Sibling rivalry.

Elementary school.

Friends.

Soccer.

First crush.

First death.

High school.

Hormones.

Studies.

Summer school.

A birthday.

A well.

A jewel.

A boy.

Correction: a hanyou boy – Inuyasha.

A miko.

A quest.

Daiyoukai Sesshomaru.

Tetsusaiga.

Shippo.

New moon.

Kikyo.

Love rivals.

Miroku.

An enemy.

Protection through betrayal.

Sango.

Midoriko.

Jinenji.

Tenseiga.

Rin.

Koga.

Kagura and Kanna.

Kohaku.

Cursed.

Poisoned.

Mount Hakurei.

Protect.

Torture.

An unforeseen protector.

Love lost.

Victory.

A revival.

Two weddings – neither hers.

A single choice.

Reward.

Purpose.

Mother.

Healer.

The Shikon Miko.

A battle between brothers.

Here.

Now.

Afraid.

Desperate.

"Okasan!"


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Pulling herself from the momentary interlude in which she saw her own death within Inuyasha's eyes, Kagome wrenched the Tetsusaiga free from beneath his foot and bolted towards Shippo.

"Okasan, look out!" Shippo cried, stumbling over his feet to get to her.

A chill ran up her spine as far too sharp claws clenched themselves around the ponytail at the nape of her neck, knocking her off balance and into the arms of her pursuer.

"Bitch," Inuyasha hissed as he bared his pointed teeth.

Acquired moments before, Tetsusaiga was wrenched from her grasp.

It came to life in Inuyasha's hands.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"The Tetsusaiga..."

"At last," Inuyasha snarled, twisting the transformed blade to glint in the sunlight while inadvertently tossing Kagome from his side.

Spiralling through the air, she scrunched her eyes closed and awaited the inevitable.

The back of her head cracked against metal. She saw stars, darkness, light, and the moon. No. Not the moon. A blue crescent moon with smoldering gold beneath it. Not in the sky. On porcelain skin. On Sesshomaru.

"Thank you."

"Hn."

"Okasan!"

Shippo. Kagome wiggled free of Sesshomaru's grasp, reaching for her distraught son. She wrapped him within her arms, assuring him of her safety.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Shippo trembled, clutching the front of his mother's hakui as if expecting her to disappear from his grasp. It was Kagome's turn to comfort her son, smoothing his wild, auburn hair and whispering words of reassurance. But now was not the time to coddle the kitsune; it was time to face a hanyou that wished her dead. A hanyou that lacked crimson eyes and amethyst stripes yet still held immense youki and wished her dead.

Kagome stilled, reassessing her friend and muttering, "Impossible."

"Hn." A non-committal response.

"What do we do?"

Sesshomaru wordlessly unsheathed Bakusaiga. "Disgraceful."

"Pretentious pedigree," Inuyasha sneered.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Protect him."

Kagome nodded, not needing to be told twice, and erected a dome around herself and Shippo, who whimpered when the enormity of her reiki raised the hairs on his neck. Fingers ran through the top of his hair, and Kagome's brilliant smile restored his confidence.

Sesshomaru grunted his approval, never taking his eyes off his adversary, who stalked around him and the luminescent barrier. "Tell me, Inuyasha, was there not something you wished to protect?"

Lips curled over expectant canines.

"You are no better than Naraku."

A low chuckle.

The clash of swords announced a continuation of battle.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Blood trailed its way down his arm, past his fingertips, to land in a small pool that formed below. If he was not the dignified daiyoukai that he was, Sesshomaru might have sworn. As it was, the miko let out her own string of curses, which unsurprisingly reminded him of his half-brother.

He shifted Bakusaiga to his left hand, testing the blade.

Sesshomaru was loath to admit it, but Inuyasha had the advantage. Not because of strength or technique. Simply put, Inuyasha had no conscience for self-preservation in his current state; his actions were reckless and controlled by pure hatred.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Blow after blow. Claws extended. Swords unsheathed. Both youkai breathing heavily.

Inuyasha sent Adamant Barrage after Backlash Wave after Wind Scar after Blades of Blood pursued by another Adamant Barrage.

She couldn't believe the destruction that followed each attack, deep trenches in the ground dug their ways through the earth and around the small dome that concealed her and Shippo from harm. Kagome wished she could help Sesshomaru, but without her bow and arrows, her attacks only worked in close range. How helpless she felt.

Even more so when Sesshomaru was sent careening into a nearby outcropping of Jōmon Sugi.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

While she didn't need to, Kagome pressed her hands against the barrier as if willing it to remain as it was, but with every swipe of the Tetsusaiga, Kagome could feel her strength waning.

"I'm scared." Shippo buried his face into her hakama.

"I know," came Kagome's grunted reply. Perspiration trailed its way down her forehead and into her eyes.

"Let. Me. In. Little. Miko." Inuyasha emphasized. He paused, and flicking his wrist, the sword transformed into Diamond Tetsusaiga.

The last thing she saw before a barrage of diamond shrapnel struck the barrier was white tackling red. Then black.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Her body was weightless, devoured by a black void where she felt no pain and felt no fear. Was this dreaming without a dream? Was this death?

The light lavender glow that pushed through her haze said otherwise. It caressed her face, held her hand, and embraced her – then took a hold of her heart, stopping and restarting the vital organ.

All-consuming, excruciating pain. She clawed at her throat, her arms, her chest. Why was no one helping her?

For a moment, Kagome's eyes briefly fluttered, catching the barest glimpse of a white hakui, onyx tendrils, and apologetic brown eyes.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Kagome's eyes shot open, pain immediately radiating throughout her body. She groaned and uncurled herself from the protective ball she had unconsciously formed around her son. Every muscle and bone protested, but she could find no discernible injuries.

As if remembering something from a long forgotten dream, Kagome raised a hand to her heart where her kimono had been pushed aside to expose her tanned skin. An unknown weight settled atop her breast. The feeling of death. Diamond shrapnel from a father's fang. Murderous intent within the eyes of a dear friend.

What if he was waiting for her at that very moment? To maim or kill her? Kagome shuddered at the thought. She tried to send her reiki searching for the fire rat-clad hanyou, but her powers sputtered and would not emerge.

They had never done that before, but she was unfazed, attributing its withdrawal to overexerting her powers.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Forcing herself onto unstable legs, Kagome took note of her surroundings. What had once been a meadow was now an abandoned battlefront. Where there had been beautiful yamayuri there were now trenches as wide as the streets in Tokyo. Jōmon Sugi lay upturned with their roots reaching the sky.

It was completely and utterly silent. Not even the chirp of a bird or the rumble of a stream could reach Kagome's ears.

Perhaps most noticeably was the lack of singing metal and the absences of a certain hanyou and daiyoukai.

That is, until her gaze fell upon a crimson hitatare.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"Shippo, wake up!"

The little ball of fluff muttered something about needing another five minutes, but Kagome was already lowering herself into one of the trenches. The descent left little to be desired with twigs and rocks catching her skin on the way down. But this was important to her; her comrade lay injured – if not already dead – on the other side.

She knew that she should fear Inuyasha, for not only what he had done but also what he could do in his injured state, but she was compelled to help him – after all, he was her best friend.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

As he would every morning, Shippo yawned, stretched his tiny paws, then reached for the warmth of his mother, which was sorely lacking. When his hands came away empty, he cracked open an eye and frowned.

"Okasan?"

No response. Shippo's brow creased as he sent his youki out to find her and sighed when he found her a short distance away. Crawling to the edge of a trench, he peered down at his mother, who struggled to climb up the other side.

"Okasan, what are you doing down there?"

He easily leapt across, offered his hand, and Kagome gratefully accepted.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Inuyasha," Kagome huffed, out of breath, "he's-"

Kagome stopped when her eyes fell upon the crimson hitatare, but not the one she had expected. Instead of the fire rat cloth, this kimono sleeve had been white and stained with the owner's blood. A porcelain hand with magenta stripes barely protruded from the fringe. A hand attached to an arm to a broad shoulder to an exposed neck, a relaxed jaw, parted lips, flushed cheeks, closed eyes, and an iris blue crescent.

Shippo pulled at Kagome's hakui sleeve, but she could only raise her hand to her mouth – a silent gasp.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Okasan?" A pause. "Kagome."

The young woman started then turned to her wide-eyed son. She knew what to do. She shrugged out of her haori, dropping it into Shippo's awaiting hands.

"Shippo, tear this into strips. I need to find out where the blood's coming from and stop it."

Kagome knelt beside the unconscious daiyoukai, gripped his wrist, and timed the beats of his heart. Slow. Unusually slow. She cursed and began to unfasten the cracked breastplate, careful not to cut herself on the shattered edges, and tossed the fragments aside.

Sesshomaru sighed with the removal of the heavy armor.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Shippo grimaced at the blood pooling through Sesshomaru's kimono; even though he had seen similar sights on his journeys with Kagome, he had never grown accustomed to these incidences. Kagome, however, had forced herself to be immune to the sight of blood. What would have made her green with nausea years before, now hardened her resolve to do anything and everything in her power to heal her patient.

Her patient, now, just happened to be a very injured and very important Western Daimyō.

"Don't die on me now, Sesshomaru," Kagome muttered as she loosened his kimono to determine the damage.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Kagome sat back on her heels and wiped a bloodied hand across her brow.

A large fissure sat beneath Sesshomaru's sternum, nearly piercing his aorta and left lung, and she couldn't be sure, but Kagome suspected that his liver and stomach might also have been damaged. Sesshomaru's right arm held freshly puckered scar tissue, traveling from the upper part of his deltoid, down, and across his bicep; assumedly, Sesshomaru's youki had healed any internal damage, but Kagome doubted it would be able to set his dislocated shoulder without some help. Unfortunately, she would have to wait until the daiyoukai awoke.


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Before she could go about cleaning the wounds, Kagome would need to tie up Sesshomaru's hair and find a stream to soak her torn haori. She turned pleading eyes to Shippo, silently voicing her request.

He vehemently shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere near him!"

Sighing, she picked up a handful of cloth strips and deposited them into Shippo's hands. "Then find a stream for me."

He was gone before Kagome could stand.

Situating herself behind the daiyoukai, Kagome prayed to whatever god was listening that Sesshomaru would not wake up and decide, in that moment, to decapitate her.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Silver tresses plastered to porcelain skin, dark with the owner's life-sustaining liquid. Even covered in blood, he had an ethereal glow to him. Pulling the satin tendrils into her lap, Kagome couldn't help but be secretly envious of them. She smoothed the hair in her hands before wringing it free of excess blood and combing her fingers through it, careful not to pull too hard. With expert hands, her fingers looped the hair back and forth, forming a perfect braid that pooled in her lap.

When a rumble resounded from Sesshomaru's chest, Kagome tensed, waiting the moment he would awaken.


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

With barely a flutter of his eyelashes, Sesshomaru sighed, relief flooding through Kagome. Hesitantly, she brushed his bangs away from his sweat-covered forehead and watched as his brow drew together then relaxed. Resting her palm, she used her other hand to determine her own temperature; he was significantly warmer.

"What are you doing?"

Jolting upright, Kagome dropped Sesshomaru's hair into a puddle of his own blood. Her son watched her warily, a mound of wet cloths in his outstretched palms. Ignoring his quizzical stare, Kagome moved towards Shippo, pushed his bangs aside, and kissed his forehead.

"I need your help."


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"What can I do?"

Kagome took several of the damp strips and, once again, knelt beside Sesshomaru. She began to wipe away the dried blood around his stomach before answering. "I need you to take Sesshomaru's pulse – like I showed you – and tell me if anything changes. Can you do that for me?"

From the corner of her eye, Kagome watched Shippo's chest puff out as he sat opposite her and took the older youkai's clawed hand in his own. He gave her a smile and a thumbs up.

Laughing lightly, she returned her attention to the task at hand.


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

According to Shippo, there had been no change in the daiyoukai's pulse; it remained slow like his deep breaths. Kagome wondered if the youkai was merely sleeping rather than unconscious from bodily trauma; what a convenience it would be to have a body with regenerative properties. She sighed, unconsciously rubbing her chest where a tightness had slowly been forming.

Ignoring it, Kagome pushed on her knees and inspected her handiwork. With her limited supplies, Kagome had wrapped Sesshomaru's midsection to the best of her abilities, and he was now relatively clean. Her one remaining concern was Sesshomaru's rising body temperature.


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

"You're doing it again."

Kagome smiled as she held her palm to Sesshomaru's forehead. "I'm checking his temperature."

"I thought you had," a thoughtful pause as he struggled to find the word, "a _thermometer_ to do that."

"I do," Kagome admitted, removing her hand and replacing it with one of the remaining clean strips of cloth, "but it's in Edo."

Shippo gave an understanding grunt.

Kagome reached for another strip to wipe the blood from Sesshomaru's face, but the large mound had dwindled to nothing and her hands came away with air. Regrettably, she looked down at her red hakama.


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

In nothing but her thigh-length nagajuban and modern underwear, Kagome sulked as she waited for Shippo to return with her shredded hakama. Perhaps she had become accustomed to the Sengoku Jidai's sensibilities, but she felt rather exposed in her undergarments – more so than she had in her school uniform, which, she admitted, had revealed a lot more than what she was now wearing.

Tucking her hands into her lap, Kagome watched the rhythmic rise and fall of Sesshomaru's chest – that it still remained doing so was a blessing in her books. She could imagine the scolding she'd receive from Jaken.


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

"Is he going to be okay, Okasan?"

Kagome smiled when her son appeared before her, offering her the now moist strips of her hakama.

"He needs time to rest and heal his injuries," Kagome said softly, "but I believe so."

He hummed his approval and watched as she set to work on her patient. With expert hands, Kagome wiped any traces of blood and dirt from the daiyoukai's face, careful when tracing the outline of his ears and brow. Pleased with her progress, she ran the cloth down his neck but jerked as a clawed hand wrapped around her wrist.


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Listless crimson eyes peered up at Kagome, while clawed fingers unconsciously pressed into tender flesh. Kagome ignored the slight sting, but from behind her, Shippo gnashed his teeth at the injured youkai, pointedly emphasizing the unwelcome mistreatment of his mother.

Shushing Shippo, Kagome remained transfixed with Sesshomaru's gaze. With tainted whites and blue irises, she had expected Sesshomaru to fall into a demonic frenzy, but she should have known better. Intelligence and comprehension swirled within the lethargic pools; he had not and would not succumb to his baser instincts.

Blinking away the crimson, his hand relinquished its hold. "Forgive me."


	36. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

"Of course, Sesshomaru-sama." A gentle smile spread across Kagome's lips as she returned to cleaning dirt from the daiyoukai's neck – fully aware that he followed her every movement. "How are you feeling?"

Pausing, she glanced down at the face of her former enemy now ally. He watched her with a slight crease of his brow but did not respond. She hadn't really expected him to – his injuries spoke for themselves.

"I've done the best I can," she continued, "and your body has begun to heal itself. However, we will have to reset your shoulder, and you may have a fever."


End file.
